A Protector's Second Chance (Unit Matched #2) by Mary Smith, Rebecca Cartee Page B

me?” Oliver chuckled against my neck.
    “Yes,” I breathed, holder him tighter.
    “I never thought I’d hear you say that,” he whispered, pulling back a little bit to kiss my cheek.
    “Did you just get back?”
    He nodded. “I did. I’m starving, too. So, I brought dinner home.”
    “Okay.” I released him, threw the blanket off, and headed to the kitchen to set the table.
    Oliver had a white plastic bag sitting on the table. I knew from the smell that it was from The Diner. He hung his jacket up and began to unload the Styrofoam containers from the bag.
    “I figured that since I was gone longer than I’d hoped, I would bring your favorite,” Oliver smiled.
    “Thanks.” I bite down on my lip, trying not to show my enthusiasm.
    Oliver took his seat at the head of the table, and I placed a bottle of water in front of him. I sat next to him, resisting the urge to climb into his lap.
    We started eating. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until I bit down into the burger. I hadn’t really eaten since Oliver had left. I liked to cook, but when it was only one person it seemed like a waste of time. No wonder frozen meals were so popular with single people.
    It was something else that I would need to remember after my banishment.
    “How’s Unit?” I’d been dying to ask the question.
    Oliver continued to eat and didn’t say anything right away. “Fine.”
    “Fine?”
    “Yep,” he didn’t say anything else. “How’s everything here? Did you finish Star Trek ?”
    I rolled my eyes. “Oh, so much has happened since you left. I did laundry. I worked out. You won’t believe what I did last night. Want to guess?” I waited for him to look up at me.
    ”What?” he smirked.
    “I swept and mopped the floors. It was the best night ever,” I sarcastically lied.
    “That sounds like a blast. Wish I had been here, it sounds like quite a party.” He picked up his empty containers and began to clean up his mess.
    I watched Oliver move around the kitchen. He was avoiding talking to me about Unit, I knew that much.
    “I’m tired, but I’m going to take a quick shower, and then we can hang out. Okay?”
    I smiled. “Sure. I’ll finish up here.”
    He gave me a quick kiss and headed upstairs. I picked up my stuff and began to clean up the kitchen. I started to wipe down the counters, and I noticed that Oliver’s phone was laying there.
    Just lying there.
    I looked over at the stairs. I knew that he wouldn’t be long. I stared at the phone. I could do this. I could just peek.
    I shook my head.
    No!
    Oliver hadn’t betrayed my trust by looking at my journals; I couldn’t look at his phone. Even though it was killing me not knowing what was happening in Unit. I knew that this would answer my questions.
    I closed my eyes, touching the cool phone sitting on the counter. My conscience and I were fighting each other to look and not to look.
    No!
    No.
    I couldn’t do it. I stepped away from the phone. I walked into in the living room and put Star Trek into the Blu-Ray. I pushed the thoughts out of my mind. I would wait for Oliver to tell me. I didn’t want to lose the trust that we’d built. I gazed at my journals. I knew that he hadn’t touched them. I was sure that he’d been tempted. I could be as strong as he was. I was the Protector of the Royal Bloodline and Unit. I was strong.
    I watched the main menu on TV screen motionless waiting for the Oliver to come back down. Not even Chris Pine or Spock’s ears could keep my mind off Unit. Deep down, I knew something was happening, and it wasn’t good.
    “I knew that you had a thing for Spock,” Oliver laughed, taking a seat next to me. He was in a gray T-shirt and black sweatpants.
    I giggled, curling up against his side, and I was glad that I hadn’t looked at his phone.
    “I’m glad that you missed me.”
    My smile faltered. I had missed him and maybe I could figure out a way to get the information out of him.
    “Did you see